Millionaire's Shortbread
Three layers of moreish, addictive, crunchy, smooth and creamy, chocolatey sweet heaven. If you have a sweet tooth - it doesn't get any better than these, trust me.
Ingredients
Shortbread:
- 160g plain/all-purpose flour
- 80g semolina (or sub with plain/all-purpose flour)
- 160g unsalted butter
- 80g icing sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
Caramel:
- 1 x 400g tin condensed milk
- 200g unsalted butter
- 100g golden syrup
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt (or more for salted caramel)
Chocolate Topping:
-
250g chocolate, milk, plain or white broken into pieces
- 25g unsalted butter
-
sprinkling of sea salt (optional)
Instructions
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Make the shortbread: Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
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Preheat the oven to Fan Oven140°C/160°C/325°F/Gas 3.
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Make in the food processor:
a) put the flour and semolina into the food processor with the salt. Pulse to mix.
b) add the cubed butter and pulse until it resembles breadcrumbs
c) add the icing sugar and pulse until the mixture starts to come together
OR
-
Make using an electric whisk:
a) beat room temperature butter, sugar and salt together until fluffy
b) fold the flour and semolina into the butter and sugar mix and use your hands to bring it together. Knead lightly until thoroughly mixed.
OR
-
Make by hand:
a) put the flour and semolina into a mixing bowl with the salt. Stir to mix.
b) add the cubed butter and, using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour untii it resembles breadcrumbs
c) add the icing sugar and stir to mix.
d) Use your hands to bring the dough together and then knead lightly until thoroughy mixed.
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Whichever method you use to make the shortbread, tip the dough into a lined cake tin. Press the evenly into the tin and level the surface. I use the base of a ¼ cup measuring cup
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Use a fork to prick the shortbread base before you cook it
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Cook in a preheated oven for 25 - 30 minutes. It is cooked when very lightly browned.
Leave to cool in the tin whilst you make the caramel.
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Make the caramel: Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
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Put all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to the boil over a moderately hot temperature. Do not take your eyes off it and stir continuously.
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Continue to stir continuously and turn the heat down to a gentle simmer for 13 – 15 minutes, until the mixture has thickened and is a medium brown/caramel colour. (If making a half size, you will probably only need to cook it for around 10 minutes.)
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Pour over the shortbread base, making sure the surface is level and leave to cool before adding the chocolate.
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Top with Chocolate: When the caramel is cold, melt the chocolate and butter in a bain marie or in the microwave. (See comments below). Spread evenly over the caramel.
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Optional: sprinkle some sea salt where you imagine the centre of each square will be.
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Leave to set in the baking tray and put it in the fridge for roughly an hour. Cut into 16 squares.
Recipe Notes
Equipment:
- food processor
- kitchen scales and measuring spoons
- 23cm/9-inch square tin, buttered and lined with baking parchment (or a 15cm/6 inch round tin for a half size.)
- thick based saucepan
- microwave safe medium size mixing bowl
Be very careful melting the chocolate. Chocolate can be very difficult to work with. You can overheat it very easily and the mixture will go grainy.
Microwave: I give the chocolate a minute in the microwave, take it out and stir it well, then let it sit for a few minutes to see if it continues melting sufficiently to melt all the chocolate. If not, I then continue with the microwave but in 10 - 15 second bursts.
Bain Marie: if you do not have a microwave, put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Do not let the base of the bowl touch the water. Heat until the chocolate and butter are very nearly melted then take it off the heat and take the bowl off the saucepan. Be very careful not to burn yourself as the bowl will be hot and steam will escape from the saucepan. Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes for the residual heat to melt the remainder of the mixture. Again, be careful not to over-heat.